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Lakers look to start another winning streak

Dec 5, 2008 - 11:24 AM LA Lakers (15-2) at Washington (3-13), 7:00pm EST

WASHINGTON (Ticker) -- The Los Angeles Lakers have already gone on a pair of extended winning streaks. On Friday in the nation's capital, they will try to get started on a third.

Fresh off a relatively easy victory over the Philadelphia 76ers on Wednesday, the Lakers will go for their second straight win as they take on the woeful Washington Wizards.

The Lakers' seven-game winning streak was snapped on Tuesday by the Indiana Pacers, as Troy Murphy beat the buzzer with a tip-in to lift Indiana to a 118-117 victory. But Kobe Bryant's 32-point night was more than enough to propel the reigning Western Conference champs over the Sixers a night later.

The Wizards, meanwhile, are 2-3 since Ed Tapscott took over as head coach, replacing the fired Eddie Jordan. They blew out the surging Nets in New Jersey on Tuesday, but failed to record their first two-game winning streak on Wednesday as they dropped a 98-92 decision to Portland.

In the absence of All-Star Gilbert Arenas - who is out until January while recovering from knee surgery - Caron Butler and Antawn Jamison have carried the Wizards' offense, combining to score nearly 43 points per contest. However, Washington fields one of the worst defensive units in the league.

After yielding more than 100 points in five straight games, however, the Wizards have held consecutive opponents under the 100-point mark - and on Tuesday even put the clamps on budding All-Star Devin Harris, who was limited to 18 points in a losing cause.